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Bennington, Vermont

Why I don't drive out of town in the dark!!!

Dear Friends and Angels

Dear Angel ever at my side,
How lovely you must be
To leave your home in heaven
To guard a one like me.

My project for today was to use up some adorable vintage fabric I found at a market sale with an old pattern I got at the same time. I found it only a little fussy because I made sure the pocket matched the front material. By coincidence, Melissa at Tiny Happy has the same pattern that she made into a sweet little girls apron with bird pockets that you can see here! Take a peek!

This apron is fully lined and ties in the back. Really, it hangs straight, really . . . I had it too far front on the coat hanger, but you get the idea.

Here is the cute pattern, size 3T.

I am jumping from one project to another, sewing by day and decorating "dolly" Christmas trees by night, all for the 25th Annual Christmas Craft Fair in Malden, Massachusetts.

Thank you, my friends, for all your comments that mean so much to me.

Swap Gift Revealed!

I have a sewing caddy and a matching pin cushion, made by Donna at Sew Mad!
Click on the picture to enlarge and you'll see the cow jumping over the moon!

The pincushion and caddy are reversible.
Look at the little dolls on the inside fabric! Just right after Dolly Dilettante's heart!

And a lovely note made out of rose wrapping paper
. . . And buttons, sewn so carefully onto a game card!
. . . Dolly hugs Donna!

Bye the way, the picture shows the one and only crochet blanket I'll ever make.
I just put it on my bed because, brrrrr it's getting cold in Vermont . . .
Keep warm and safe my friends!

Hey Diddle Diddle, A Swap Gift!

Here is a sneak peek at a Big Surprise that lovely Donna at Sew Mad sent to me this week, all the way from Australia! It took me ever so long to open it because it felt like Christmas and my birthday all wrapped up in one. So I'll show you the pictures tomorrow and today I'll give you the following hint . . . In this excerpt of J.R.R. Tolkien's from the Lord of the Rings . . . Frodo sings what Bilbo had written:

Then the ostler said to his tipsy cat:
'The white horses of the Moon,
They neigh and champ their silver bits;
But their master's been and drowned his wits,
and the Sun'll be rising soon!'

So the cat on his fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,
a jig that would wake the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
'It's after three!' he said.

They rolled the Man slowly up the hill
and bundled him into the Moon,
While his horses galloped up in rear,
And the cow came capering like a deer,
and a dish ran up with the spoon.

Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
the dog began to roar,
The cow and the horses stood on their heads;
The guests all bounded from their beds
and danced upon the floor.

With a ping and a pong the fiddle-strings broke!
the cow jumped over the Moon,
And the little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the Saturday dish went off at a run
with the silver Sunday spoon.

The round Moon rolled behind the hill
as the Sun raised up her head.
She hardly believed her fiery eyes;
For though it was day, to her surprise
they all went back to bed!

Sending lots of hugs to Donna, From a delighted Dolly Dilettante

Rag Doll

Hello everybody!

Look who is new kid on the block . . . Emma the rag doll, just finished today.

She is a real rag doll . . . yesterday I was so overwhelmed with all my UFO's I just sat down on the studio floor and started picking up my trillions of scraps. Then I started tying the tiny rags together until I had a length about 24 inches and absent-minded as usual just started braiding three strips together. I made a braid, then two, then three. As usual I stared at these braids wondering if they would be of any use? Doll Hair! It just hit me . . .

Here is Emma's backside and you can see her rag hair.

I made a simple little pattern for her out of an ordinary sheet of 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper and rounded the top of the paper for her head. The strips of her body were from one of my zillions of UFO quilt patches. I added arms and legs made out of rectangles of fabric in proportion to her body. Before I sewed the 4 arm pieces and 4 leg pieces together I stitched on pink felt hands and black felt shoes.

If you like Emma's little face you can click here for a cute tutorial on how to draw a Dolly Dingle. I wish you all happiness and lots of sewing pleasure . . . everyone should have a rag doll . . . why not have fun making your own!

Rag doll Emma will be looking for a new home on November 17th at the 25th Annual Malden High School Craft Fair. Malden, Massachusetts is just a hop-skip-jump from Boston. I'd love to see some of you Boston Etsy Handmade ladies when I'm in town! If you get a chance come by my booth and say hi to Dolly Dilettante!

More Apron News!

I know, I know, it isn't even Halloween yet, but I am so in the spirit of Christmas this year! And I didn't make these two divine aprons, they were made by Heavenly Hostess and can be seen by:

visiting the Apronista blog.There you can see more aprons and you will find a free holiday giveaway apron, and it's very special. So click here and enter the draw . . . you've got nothing to lose and a gorgeous apron to gain!

Apron News

The new apron - I have been busy! I have now switched gears for Christmas. Dolly Dilettante is knocking herself out making dollie Christmas trees, Christmas crowns, sweet pinafores, bibs, dolls, more checkbooks covers, quilties, decoupage Victorian boxes and lavender sachet hearts.

I can't keep up with myself . . . sewing up a storm in the hills of Vermont . . .

All About Pollyanna

Today I went to Littleton, New Hampshire, the closest place to go shopping, about 20 miles. I stopped at Porfido's and noticed the statue next door on the library lawn.

Here she is! Pollyanna.

Out of curiosity about the statue I did a little investigating inside the library. Eleanor Porter, born in Littleton (1868-1920), wrote "Pollyanna," the American childrens' classic.

In an interview Mrs. Porter said, "I have been made to suffer from the Pollyanna books, I have been placed often in a false light. People have thought that Pollyanna chirped that she was 'glad at everything.' I have never believed that we ought to deny discomfort and pain and evil. I have merely thought that it is far better to greet the unknown with a smile.

Pollyanna was adapted for Broadway in a production starring Helen Hayes in 1916 and then into a motion picture starring Mary Pickford (America's Sweetheart) in 1920. The 1960 Disney version made a star of Hayley Mills and is still popular today.

Pollyanna, the "sunniest and most delightful of optimists."

From 1913 to present over 1,000, 000 hardbound copies have been sold.

Walk Around the Block

This is for you, Donna, per request! Sunday was a glorious day here in Vermont to take pictures so here are a few photos of me and my favorite places in town, most within a walk around my block! Here I am at Springfield College where I graduated in 2005 at age 55, but I did it! I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services.

The PROOF!!! I'm on the right.

Sunday at Maple Grove, the maple syrup factory.

The view of my street from the top of the hill.

View from my back porch.

Garden and fountain around the block.

Main Street, at the top of my hill.

The St. Johnsbury House retirement home on Main Street where I spend time volunteering, sometimes in the kitchen and often for the "Good Living Senior Center," where I update the website every month, and just plain have fun visiting.


The Library on Main Street called "The Anthenaeum."

The courthouse lawn across the street.

The Elks Lodge around the corner.

The Fairbanks Museum at the top of my hill.

Beautiful and peaceful, Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.

A beautiful farm carved on a gravestone.

This is an amazing place to take a walk in this beautiful weather.

The hydrangea glows in the sun.

The back lane to walk home - a wonderful day and a break from my sewing routine!